Mahomes dazzles again as 49ers downed
RISING quar t e r back s t a r Patrick Mahomes extended his phenomenal start to the season as the Kansas City Chiefs maintained t hei r per f e c t record with a 38-27 victory over the San an Francisco 49ers rs on Sunday.
Mahomes es threw for three touchdowns ns and a m a s s e d 3 1 4 yards in a duel with Jimmy y Garoppolo that t ended when t h e 4 9 e r s q u a r t e r b a c k w a s carted off with a possible season-ending on-ending knee injury. y.
Ma homes, e s , 2 3, has now passed for 13 touchdowns hdowns t h i s sea son, on, t he highest ever ver tally thrown by a quart e r b a c k a f t e r three games es of a campaign, , surpa ssi ng Peyt o n Ma n- ning’s mark of 12 set in 2013. Against the 49ers, Mahomes (pictured, AFP) produced another virtuoso performance, displaying his phenomenal arm strength with one offbalance bullet pass to pick out Chris Conley in the end en zone for a second quarter touchdown.
The Chiefs effectively effectivel sealed victory with a devastat devastating firsthalf performance, perfor laying w waste to t h e 4 9 e r s ’ defence to take a 3 5 - 1 0 le lead at the br break.
G a r o p - polo po r al - l i e d Sa n Francisco Fra af t er the restart res to lead lea drives which resu resulted in touchdow touchdowns for Marquise Goodwin G and Alfred Morris, but the 49ers’ 49er comeback stalled. stalled
A disappointing afternoon got worse for the 49ers when Garoppolo was injured in the fourth quarter with what head coach Kyle Shanahan later said was a possible cruciate ligament injury.
“With Jimmy, we’re fearing ACL [anterior cruciate ligament damage],” Shanahan said. “We’ll find out tomorrow. Any time you lose your starting quarterback, that is a big deal.”
Heavenly Brees fires Saints
Elsewhere on Sunday, a vintage display from New Orleans Saints veteran quarterback Drew Brees inspired a thrilling 43-37 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons in their NFC South duel.
But while Brees celebrated, fellow veteran quarterback Tom Brady was given a torrid time as the New England Patriots crashed to a 26-10 loss against the Detroit Lions.
The game pitted Patriots boss Bill Belichick against former defensive assistant Matt Patricia.
But it was Patricia who came out on top as Brady was sacked twice and restricted to just 133 passing yards as the Patriots suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since 2015.
In the battle of Los Angeles, the Rams maintained their perfect start to the season with a 35-23 win over the Chargers at the Memorial Coliseum.
The Chiefs’ win over San Francisco, meanwhile, was made sweeter after unbeaten AFC West r i v a l s Denver slumped to a 27-14 loss at Baltimore.
The Broncos were one of several unbeaten teams to suffer their first defeats of the season in early games on Sunday.
In the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a surprise 9-6 reverse to divisional rivals the Tennessee Titans.
The Cincinnati Bengals, meanwhile, were handed their first loss against a Cam Newtoninspired Carolina Panthers.
The Panthers ran out 31-21 winners with quarterback Newton rushing for two touch- downs and throwing for two more.
Newton has now racked up 57 rushing touchdowns in his eight seasons, more than any other quarterback in the Super Bowl era.
In the NFC North meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers were comprehensively thumped 31-17 by the Washington Redskins at Fedex Field.
Rodgers threw for two touchdowns and 265 yards but was matched by Redskins quarterback Alex Smith who also threw two touchdowns.
Veteran running back Adrian Peterson proved the difference, rushing for 120 yards and two touchdowns to complete the upset.
The Minnesota Vikings, meanwhile, were the victims of a surprise mauling by the winless Buffalo Bills in Minneapolis. Rookie Bills quarterback Josh Allen rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another in a 27-6 win at the US Bank Stadium.